The Highwayman
by xLeopardx
Summary: Neji is a criminal. Tenten is a landlord's daughter. They love each other. Sasuke is jealous. Based on the poem "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes. NejiTen Oneshot.


Okay this oneshot is actually based on a poem called "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes. I translated it into modern english and stuff, and then into a NejiTen. I added a few other things that weren't in the poem, too. I hope you understand it. Some things were very hard to fix.

The Highwayman

At a very old hotel, it was a cold and windy night. The air was humid, and it was very hot considering it was nighttime. The moon was bright and shining, almost like a streetlamp to guide the path down the road.

The guests of the hotel heard the sound of a horse coming along the pavement. It was very rare for a visitor to be coming this late at night.

They hurried to the windows, hoping to get a glimpse of whoever this person was. It was dark, but when they finally saw, and realized who was the man, most mouths immediately dropped open.

It was the highwayman -- a notorious man who went by the name of Neji Hyuuga. He was a criminal, known for theft of valuable jewels and clothing.

He was wearing a hat, to protect his head from the usually hot days in this area. His hair was long and beautiful, and was envied by most people. He wore some of the best clothes, a jacket of red velvet. His boots went up to his thigh. And he carried a pistol and sword with him for protection. He was an outlaw, after all.

He seemed to almost be glistening from the light of the moon, and the clear, beautiful night.

His eyes were two moons placed onto his face, and his nose seemed to be angled perfectly. His mouth was lifted into a smirk, like most of the time it was.

He started whistling and continued riding his horse towards a window. There was a screen placed over the window, and it was locked.

He tapped on the window with his whip, and started whistling louder.

A beautiful girl -- Tenten, the daughter of the landlord was standing there, placing her hair into two buns on top of her head. She had a bright smile on her face, one that could light up a room, and her bright brown eyes looked even brighter in the clear night. Neji smiled back at her.

Little did they know, a wicked man who went by the name of Sasuke Uchiha was listening to their conversation. He was in love with Tenten. He loved the sparkles in her eyes, her beautiful red lips, the strange hairstyle that she used. He listened dumbly, smiling at every word they said. He had an idea.

"Listen, Tenten, I'm after a prize. I am seeking gold from a nearby village. I will return by the morning unless _they_ interfere, then I will have to. . ." He tapped his gun with a soft smile permanently planted onto his face.

Tenten's eyes widened. "I'm coming with you. If it proves necessary, then I will be there to help you."

"No. It's too dangerous. This is a one-person job. Just wait here. I assure you, I will return by the morning." Neji promised her.

". . .And if you do get attacked. . ." She whispered, and could barely choke the words out.

"If I DO get attacked, then wait for me until evening tomorrow night, I promise you, I will come. Then we will leave this horrid place and move to Konoha."

She nodded, still unsure of what else she could say that might change his mind. She turned her head away from the beautiful man.

"No kiss?" He asked, clearly disappointed. She sighed, and reached her lips up to his. He kissed her too, and then rode away into the night.

--

He didn't return in the morning. Tenten wasn't really nervous, she was just frightened. He said that perhaps he may get into a battle, but she couldn't believe it could have been true.

He didn't return at noon. She was still worried, constantly looking at the clock hanging on her wall. This gold that he was fetching was important -- they would never be able to settle in Konoha without it.

She still wished he wouldn't have left. He had said he would return by evening -- but what if he didn't? Tenten shook her head of all negative thoughts, and focused on the positive.

That's when she heard _them_ coming. She gasped for air, and wanted to shout, but she couldn't. She wanted to climb out of her window, but it was too high for her.

In walked one of _them _into the hotel. The Akatsuki. Followed by more, and more until there were six of them. Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, and Kakuzu.

They walked right past the landlord, and drank all of her father's wine, clearly not caring. After they were finished, they walked into Tenten's room. Six against one. Not good odds at all.

They weren't in her favor. She gulped. Itachi, Deidara, and Hidan grabbed her, while Kisame, Sasori, and Kakuzu took out a rope, and together they tied her to her

bed. She had a good view of the road that Neji would soon be returning on soon.

The Akatsuki started to snicker. They put a musket beside her, and Itachi kissed her. "Now, keep watch for _him._ Let us know when he's coming. And if I'm not around, shoot him." Itachi ordered.

They all walked out of the room. Tenten shouted "Never!" to them, but they obviously didn't hear when the door had slammed. She knew what they were up to -- they were going to kill Neji!

She _had_ to warn him, but how? There was only one way. She nodded her head in agreement to herself. She reached for the musket beside her, but the knots were too tight.

Hours later, with her fingers drenched in bright red blood, she touched the trigger! The trigger! The only way to warn Neji was with her death.

She couldn't let them hear her. She slowly reached for the weapon, and snatched it off the table.

"Tlot, Tlot!" She heard. What was that? Was it him? Had _they _heard it? She saw him. It was Neji! He was here!

If the Akatsuki didn't notice Neji, then she wouldn't have to use the weapon, and Neji could get her out of there before Itachi noticed. She was actually happy.

Tenten hoped and prayed that they didn't hear Neji coming. She didn't want him to die, too.

She heard noises outside of her door. She gulped. They had heard him.

"Tlot, Tlot." The sound again made her cry. Her heart was on beat with the slamming of the horse's hooves on the pavement. The door slammed open. They stared outside of her window, and saw Neji riding towards the hotel. They smirked. Victory was theirs.

Tenten looked at his face. His wonderful face she loved so much. She took one last breath.

She pulled the trigger, and it was loud enough for Neji to hear. He didn't know who, but he knew that a gun shot meant that there was trouble, so he escaped.

The next morning, Neji was told that the shot he heard was actually Tenten -- she had shot herself. He roamed the highway aimlessly, it was unbelievable. Why would Tenten do something so -- so stupid!? He wanted to cry, but no tears came out. When he became a robber, he lost most of his emotions. He believed Tenten could have brought those lost emotions back. He heard the cocking sound of a gun behind him.

He quickly turned around to be faced by all six of those scum.

"What do you want? I have no soul anymore, if that's what you want." Neji stated. Hidan spit on the dirt.

"We want you dead." Kisame replied.

"I am." Neji repeated.

"Not living. Your heart not beating anymore." Sasori said.

Neji glared at them, and waited. Hidan aimed the gun at Neji, and Neji realized something. Tenten had done this to warn _him_, because she didn't want him dead. She cared. Neji smiled one last time. Hidan pulled the trigger.

Neji lay on the ground, his jacket drenched in his own blood.

**--**

And some nights, the people at the hotel say they hear the sound of the highwayman -- Neji's horse's hooves against the pavement, and they look out the window. Yet, they see nothing.

They hear the sound of whips on a window, but it turns out just to be leaves. Some say the people are just hallucinating, but others believe it is the highwayman -- Neji -- searching for Tenten, keeping his promise.

THE END

Did you like it? Haha. My first Oneshot. I had to do this poem for school. You might want to read the poem, too.


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